The Top 7 Vitamins and Minerals For Acne

There are over 32 nutrients in the human body which are considered absolutely essential for human health. This group includes all the classic nutrients you know and love, plus a great deal more which most people are unfamiliar with: that means calcium, iron, B-vitamins, but also more unknown nutrients like chromium.

How can this be? The answer is that the problem with high sebum production is not that it directly blocks your pores, not entirely anyway, but that the sebum typically oxidises to a greater extent. When sebum oxidises due to free radical attack, it forms squalene peroxide, one of the most comedogenic (pore-blocking) substances in the world.

That’s the real cause of blocked pores and p.acnes overgrowth and your body has a very specific system to keep that from happening; it uses built-in antioxidants to keep your sebum strong. The antioxidant it uses by far the most is good old vitamin E. Having a face like one of BP’s ocean oil rigs is never a good thing, but if you have enough vitamin E then it is far less likely that the sebum will cause acne.

The reason why acne patients need it? Scientists in this study found that acne patients have an average of 10% less vitamin E in their bloodstream. Tons of other studies all find one thing: the less vitamin E you consume, the worse your acne will be.

This means three things: 1) you need to try and get plenty of vitamin E from acne friendly foods like green vegetables, fish, chocolate and in particular, nuts. The king of all vitamin E sources is the almond and a handful a day can provide enough vitamin E to give your acne a noticeable reduction.

Secondly, it is well worth taking a supplement for vitamin E that takes you far beyond 22IU. Dr Evan Shute is a scientist who has devoted his entire career to studying vitamin E and he argues that both men and women can benefit hugely by taking up to 600IU per day. Studies back this up as they rarely show adverse health effects from high doses, at least not from natural forms of the vitamin.

…and what you need for clearing acne is therefore a supplement that is both expertly made and comes from food sources. Being made from food gives you every type of natural vitamin E, and a guarantee that the vitamin will be better absorbed than lab versions.

Out of all the supplements on the market, one that will improve your acne the most is this Dr Mercola Vitamin E.

Meanwhile, Solgar Vitamin E 400 IU is great for a pure, no-nonsense supplement for a fraction of the price of the one above.

Zinc

Objective – to calm down existing pimples and shut down the birth of new ones.

Known as the acne master mineral because out of all the acne-clearing nutrients we are discussing here, zinc is the one that is most firmly backed up by scientific studies directly on acne.

Zinc is very similar to vitamin E in that a big proportion of the population are severely deficient in it, and that is impacting the world’s skin in a big way…

The big claim-to-fame of zinc is that it can work miracles on your immune system. It can prevent an overactive immune system from releasing too many inflammatory chemicals behind acne and it can jumpstart one that isn’t performing properly.

That makes it vital for healthy skin because acne is basically a result of excessive inflammatory chemicals. Your immune system attacks the p.acnes bacteria lodged in your pores and if too many chemicals are released, your skin pores will become swollen, reddened and “acnefied” by the onslaught.

Almost every acne patient faces this scenario and that’s why zinc is so excellent. Consider the fact that a good chunk of the Western population is deficient and there’s a good chance that more zinc is exactly what you need. You can get to the daily allowance of zinc through foods but in this case I believe it is simplest to take a supplement – otherwise you would have to eat loads of obscure foods like oysters.

If you do then it’s vital that you take the right variety of zinc, since zinc has the most forms of almost any nutrient. The best absorbed forms are zinc piliconate or zinc methionine (my personal choice). Tons of people take common, ineffective versions like zinc oxide, and then give up on zinc completely when it has no effect.

Take a proper zinc supplement and according to this study, you could see a reduction in your acne of around 33%. The best news is that the study used zinc sulphate, which isn’t even one of the more effective zinc supplements.

The supplement I recommend for most people is Thorne Research Zinc Picolinate. This is a pure zinc in the effectively absorbed zinc picolinate form, which is free from any controversial additives like magnesium stearate.

A great alternative is this natural and food derived supplement from a very high quality supplement brand, MegaFood Zinc. With this you get a doubly whammy of acne benefits, because not only does the pill contain 22.5mg (150%) of raw food derived zinc, there’s also a proprietary blend of fruits and vegetables. Those plants coincidentally include some of the healthiest for acne, including broccoli, spinach and beetroot.

The nemesis of the arctic explorer; plenty of them have tried to hunt polar bears, foolishly eaten the liver, and died due to it being the richest source of vitamin A in the world.

This overdose potential of vitamin A is also seen in the horrific side effects seen from the last resort acne treatment Accutane, including permanent dry eyes, destroyed sexual function, and depression.

However don’t get put off this vital acne vitamin, because at safe doses vitamin A can improve a good amount of the bodily conditions that cause acne. Its standout feature that takes it to elite status is its strong ability to reduce both the size of your sebaceous glands and the amount of sebum they produce. That means less oily skin, and inevitably less blocked pores.

It speaks for itself that Accutane, the premier acne drug in the world, is basically a massively overpowered vitamin A supplement. It can cure acne but it also causes the side effects listed above and in this article, so that tells you something important. Get plenty of vitamin A for acne but don’t go absolutely overboard.

The recommended daily allowance of 800ug is pretty accurate for health and acne. However vitamin A is still one important component of an acne plan that covers many other aspects. A supplement is not completely necessary if you can craft a well organised diet, but you can use one if you want an extra acne clearing boost (just don’t go crazy).

The odd man out in this list, as it is hardly a vitamin at all. Vitamin D is actually a hormone that your body manufactures when exposed to the sun’s ultraviolet rays.

The so called “sunshine vitamin” is vital for the highest number of different functions in your body out of these acne nutrients; you need it for combating insulin resistance, you need it to control inflammation, you need it for proper acne nutrient absorption, the list is endless.

It’s important for tons of other health aspects too; there are over 800 research papers showing that increasing blood vitamin D to 50-70ng/ml can combat cancer. The problem is that because more jobs than ever are based in dark offices and more time is spent glued to screens, roughly 40% of the US population is now vitamin D deficient.

That’s why I recommend that just about every acne patient takes a vitamin D supplement. Here in England we can only make vitamin D from the sun for 7-8 months of the year; not enough UV rays can penetrate the atmosphere in winter.

Even when the sun is strong enough, our damp atlantic-influenced climate means that we don’t get the chance to absorb the sun’s rays anyway. Therefore I take 2000IU of vitamin D every day (in the winter) and if you live in a high latitude country it’s smart for you to do the same.

I have taken a few different supplements for both my acne and health and one of the best is easily this one: NatureWise Vitamin D3. This features vitamin D3 encapsulated in extra virgin olive oil, no toxic fillers and chemicals, and a huge 360 day supply. Note that if you’re in the UK, that link will take you to the Garden Of Life brand, another pure supplement, which features a bonus prebiotic and digestive blend.

On the other hand, if you want a cheaper alternative without all the fancy prebiotic extras then you can get this bottle of Vitamin D3 Drops, which is truly excellent value for money.

It is also critical that your supplement is D3 (also called cholecalciferol), not D2 (ergocalciferol), because D2 is not properly absorbed by the body. If most of your days are spent relaxing on a beach in Jamaica then you don’t need a supplement, but most people in North America are indoors for most of the day.

Take 2000IU in the darker months, and a little less in the summer, depending on the climate of your country. Do that and it’s highly likely that you’ll be delighted with the improvement in your acne (and your skin tone as well). Read more about vitamin D here.

Vitamin C is generally dismissed by the acne community, but a hard look at the science tells you that it is stronger than most people know. Its first acne power is its ability to reduce the evil stress hormone, cortisol, in your bloodstream. The second is the fact that it is needed for the human body to manufacture collagen, a key structural component of your skin.

The final acne advantage is that vitamin C is absolutely vital for wound healing. Getting way more than the recommend daily allowance for vitamin C will greatly accelerate the speed at which your old acne clears up and that will make your skin much clearer overall.

That’s why in my opinion, supplementation with vitamin C is an absolute must for acne patients. The daily allowance of 60mg is pitifully low; the human body can easily withstand up to 2000mg and most likely far more.

I take at least 750mg per day, using an excellent Camu Camu Powder supplement. I wrote this article here about the amazing experience I had where it healed a four month old injury within two weeks. Lack of vitamin C is one of the key reasons why people who don’t eat fruit and vegetables have terrible skin that’s covered with acne, so eat plenty of berries, broccoli, potatoes, kale, and other acne-clearing foods that provide 50% of the allowance or more.

Vitamin C is not mentioned in many acne-clearing guides, but for the reasons above and from my excellent experience with it, I believe that it is worthy of your time and money.

Selenium is the second most powerful acne mineral, next to zinc, but only by a tiny fraction. Selenium has an arsenal of acne studies which is just as impressive.

Firstly, this one analysed the blood of 37 acne patients, some of whom were severe, and observed that they had far lower selenium levels compared to 37 other men. Secondly, this study found that feeding 14 acne patients a 200mcg selenium supplement led to steady drops in total pimple counts after 2 weeks, 4 weeks and 6 weeks. After 8 weeks, total acne lesions had fallen by nearly 50%.

Unlike zinc, which constrains the immune system, selenium works by being the main ingredient of glutathione. Glutathione is the human body’s most powerful homemade antioxidant. To clear acne, you have to get antioxidants through two sources: your diet, from herbs, spices, coffee, dark chocolate, and colourful fruits and vegetables, and your own body.

Your body makes many of its own antioxidants, including superoxide dismutase and catalase, but the catch is that you must supply the raw materials in the form of minerals, sulphur, and amino acids…

…and without selenium you won’t be making any glutathione at all, because it’s one of the golden trio of glutathione minerals alongside magnesium and zinc. Furthermore, 5 of the 8 forms of glutathione are seleno-proteins, meaning that their structure is based heavily around selenium. The study above where selenium reduced acne by 50% also found that daily selenium supplements led to a 201% increase in glutathione.

Selenium supplements can thus achieve the following benefits: your blood antioxidant levels will skyrocket, your free radicals will be hunted down and destroyed, your skin will become stronger, and outside sources of free radicals such as cigarette smoke and air pollution will simply bounce off it.

Selenium could erase up to half your pimples if the studies above are accurate. Remember: the best part is that the 50% reduction was an average. If your acne happens to have a severe glutathione deficiency at its root, selenium could be a miracle.

How to get it – eat Brazil nuts! These common nuts, which are plucked from the riverside Brazil nut tree native to not just Brazil but also eastern Columbia, eastern Peru, Guianas, Venezuela, and eastern Bolivia, are the richest food source of selenium by a mile.

Just two nuts weighing in at 10 grams contain 191.8mcg, which is 274% of the daily allowance. Supplement companies everywhere are probably about to launch a massive cover-up, because this study on 59 New Zealanders found that eating two Brazil nuts daily for eight weeks led to a 59% increase in blood selenium levels, which was equally as potent as a formulated supplement.

That’s one reason why selenium is such a great mineral for acne: you get enjoyment from increasing your levels. You get to eat a delicious snack rather than swallowing a massive pill. With Brazil nuts you completely bypass the need to analyse each form of the mineral. You can get the well-absorbed form of selenium found in nature, because a Brazil nut is nature.

There’s no brainpower required, just follow the method of the study above. Simply eat two nuts per day, and watch your acne vanish.

Perhaps the most neglected mineral for clear skin. The first acne-clearing power of magnesium is similar to selenium: significantly increasing your bloodstream levels of glutathione. Not only is magnesium important itself, but the mineral also makes another key ingredient of glutathione called adenosine triphosphate.

But where magnesium really shines is in its indirect powers for acne. Firstly, it’s the single most important mineral for anxiety.

Magnesium calms down and improves the efficiency of neurotransmitters behind stress, and like vitamin C, magnesium also suppresses levels of the stress hormone cortisol in the bloodstream. In fact, during stress, your kidneys automatically release a burst of magnesium. The result? Magnesium is amazing for stress-induced acne.

Magnesium is also miraculous for sleep deprivation. Study after study has confirmed the link, with one analysing 300 elderly people and finding a direct correlation between bloodstream magnesium levels and sleep quality. Magnesium achieves this by increasing the sleep hormone melatonin, by increasing levels of its precursor, the happiness hormone serotonin. And you know what that means? Magnesium is also amazing for your mood.

Deficiency in this mineral is rampant, estimated at 80% of Americans by one study. Why? An analysis of different berry and green vegetable species revealed huge falls in magnesium levels, ranging from 25 to 80% since 1950. This phenomenon is caused by soil depletion, but also artificial phosphorous-based fertilisers, rather than organic composts which supply a much wider range of nutrients.

That’s why compared to vitamin A, taking a magnesium supplement is absolutely vital. Which is the best brand? You have two excellent options.

Firstly, there’s this Ancient Minerals Magnesium Oil. This “oil” is actually liquid magnesium chloride, a solution derived from the ancient sea of Zechstein near the Netherlands. This is a trans-dermal magnesium supplement which you spray onto the skin. It gets absorbed directly into the bloodstream, bypassing digestion and becoming ultra-efficient.

I use this supplement most days, and compared to before I started using this, my sleep is miraculously calm. It’s like getting knocked out every night. I fall asleep very quickly and I rarely wake up in the middle of the night.

Your second choice, meanwhile, is this well-absorbed bottle of Pure Encapsulations Magnesium Glycinate. This supplement is free from any toxic chemicals or suspicious additives like magnesium stearate.

It’s in the well-absorbed magnesium glycinate form, rather than the feeble magnesium oxide of common grocery store pills. Furthermore, Pure Encapsulations is an amazing supplement brand, with extreme dedication to purity, testing every batch of their products for heavy metal contamination and over 30 pesticides.

Magnesium is vital for stress, sleep quality, and your supply of acne-clearing antioxidants.

Conclusion

Just about every nutrient will help your acne to some degree, but those seven are the ones you really need to focus on for acne. You can get the daily allowance of most of the others by eating a diet with plenty of nutritious meats, fish, vegetables and fruits, or simply by taking a multivitamin.

You could also take a multivitamin for the acne nutrients above, but in some instances taking an individual supplement is absolutely necessary. Taking zinc on its own allows you to make sure that it’s the well absorbed zinc piliconate rather than an ineffective zinc oxide buried among tons of other ingredients. You definitely need to take vitamin C on its own because a multivitamin only provides a morsel compared to what you really need for clearing acne.

Follow this advice and you’ll advance a good deal further along the road to gloriously acne-clear skin.

Just looked at the product, it does have all the acne nutrients in decent quantities, but it has no advantage over the garden of life multivitamin (which is what I use and recommend). It’s also unclear whether the nutrients are sourced from food or a lab.

I have already placed an order but regarding the garden of life vitamin E, it says that it contains only 250IU of the vitamin E per serving, is this amount sufficient? It also contains 5000IU of vitamin A, isn’t this too much?

Do you take both the garden of life vitamin E and Nature’s Plus Source of Life Garden Vitamin D3 on a daily basis?

Hey Theo, no the vitamin a is safe because it’s in beta carotene form which unlike the animal form, retinol, your body stops converting once it has enough. Any excess carotenoids function as antioxidants instead. The vitamin e is easily enough since the Rda is 22iu for an adult daily. So 250iu is over 1000 percent of the rda. In fact, further to your other comment about air pollution, I’d say this is one of the best supplements you can take because both vitamin e and vitamin a can protect against external oxidation. Yes, I take the vitamin d daily unless I’m on holiday somewhere sunny. I don’t take the vitamin e at the moment.

Thanks for the info Richard. I just received the vitamin e and am waiting for the d3 supplement you recommended. Would you recommend taking them both? The reason I ask is because we are approaching summer here and I figured I could get plenty of sun and not have to supplement.

Also could i exceed the recommended amount of d3 for the winter period? If yes by how much? I have had a blood test in the past, with the doc telling me that I am lacking in d. Mind you this was prior to my travels.

Finally since I am unable to order from amazon, could you recommend a zinc supplent I can purchase from the iherb website?

It depends completely on your sun exposure and the climate. If it’s summer with blazing sun most days and you spend plenty of time outside in that sun then you’ll manufacture enough vitamin d yourself. However, if your blood levels are low you can take 2 capsules daily for two weeks (5000IU worth) to rapidly bring your blood levels back to optimal range. Then you can use sunlight to maintain it. I don’t use vitamin d in summer but I will if the weather is constantly damp and cloudy.

As for the zinc, my recommended company is nutrabio which ships worldwide directly from their website with a small shipping fee which is nearly nothing considering what a bargain the product is in the first place. This is my recommended zinc and you can buy it here: http://www.nutrabio.com/Products/optizinc.htm

They ship to seemingly every country in the world for about 12 USD in total considering price plus shipping. The product has no fillers or additives except rice flour, which is very acne-friendly in that quantity, and you get a supply to last 4 months for that tiny price. So that’s the one I recommend, rather than using iHerb, which has no zinc supplement that can match it.

So to sum up, I’m taking the D3, E and camu camu powder you recommend, cod liver oil as well as eating oily fish, not to mention eating at least three servings of fruit a day. Oh and i bought some gelatin as well. Is it unrealistic to expect results within a month? What would be the time frame roughly?

Also Richard, could it possible that only certain individuals can improve their skin by making such alterations to their diet? My sister for instance cut out dairy and has since seen amazing results. I on the other hand, it seems that whatever i consume, i continue to consistently break out.

If improving my lifestyle by relocating to a clean and stress free environment, worked for me in the past, despite eating acne causing foods at the time, could this remain my only solution? In other words, could focusing on my lifestyle and not so much my diet be the answer?

No, results within a month is easily realistic, however it takes times for blood levels of vitamin D and E to increase (especially vitamin D). Full results will likely take a couple of months.

Some people are more sensitive to aspects of diet than others; for instance, sensitivity to dairy is largely genetic due to certain compounds that many have trouble digesting, e.g. lactose, but also casein. Overall though diet plays a big role for the majority of people, although if for example, your acne is largely due to air pollution, you would naturally see a bigger improvement by eliminating that.

I doubt that moving house is the only solution even if air pollution is the biggest cause. You’ve got a good stack of supplements there so I’d wait and see if you notice improvements from them to begin with.

Wow, this was a fantastic article. An absolute pleasure really. I’ve been doing research on every freaking health condition A-Z and I wish I could always find such well written articles with links to studies!!! Thank you so much!

I am taking Vitamin E, D3, C , Pre + Probiotics (all these from Natural Health Farm) for 3 months and Gluthathione (MaxOne) for 1 month already.I am not taking dairy and no artificial sugar intake, I have been eating healthly. My skin have good and bad days. I still do breakout and have a lot of white and blackheads. My skin is still oily.

I am going to try to add in Zinc, Selenium and Omega 3. Hopefully I can have clearer skin? What else can I do?

Richard, I believe my carbohydrate intake is fine as I rarely take gluten (cause I am afraid of more inflammation from white pasta, pizza, baked products). In a week, I mostly take brown rice and other times white rice, quinoa or millet. I do eat a lot of vegetable, fruits and fish.
What’s left is that it may be that I do not exercise much, because as for sunlight;I live in Malaysia. Its tropical weather.

What I mean is the quantity of carbohydrates, not the specific types. You can overdose on even the healthy types of carbohydrates like rice and potatoes and still get oily skin that way. You’re doing well to avoid gluten and wheat related products though. If your carbohydrate intake is in control, then there’s still more you can do; out of what you suggested above, omega 3s and zinc are absolutely critical and if you can only afford a limited range of supplements, those two take priority above vitamin C (if you simply arrange a diet which contains enough). That said, fish is the most effective source of omega 3s, not supplements, as the pills are often rancid and full of free radicals due to prolonged sitting on the store shelf.

Hey Mr. Wolfstein, I read your book “Annihilate Your Acne” and have been following the diet for over a week now. But I have couple questions. I am a 20 year old male and i had acne since i was like 16. Very glad to say that when nothing else worked, following your book for a week made a wonder. my face is pretty clear now except for the scars from the old zits. But every morning when i wake up, i still seem to discover a new zit(but very small in size compared to before.) And looking at my diet, i think the omega balance is causing it. Do you think eating salmon thrice a week is enough to balance it? or is there any other sources of omega 3 except organic meat or dairy? (by the way, i think my omega 6 intake is pretty low unless the non organic chicken breast and eggs count. and i didn’t have any vegetable oil in the last 6 month or so) And finally how can i eat almonds(for vitamin e) and brazil nuts(for selenium) since they are high in omega 6? I am sure that most of these questions are answered in the book but if you would be kind enough to clarify these points that would be great. Thank You.

Forgot to mention another thing. since i am not eating almonds as they seemed to break me out earlier, my main source of vitamin e right now is from a multivitamin( which i believe is synthetic). Can lack of vitamin e be the reason why i am still getting these little zits?

Hi Shawn, firstly thanks for the purchase. Secondly, it’s excellent to hear that you’ve improved so fast and after so many years of having acne. First thing to consider is that you’ve only been following the diet for a week – many of the strategies will work rapidly as you’ve been noticing, but many can take up to two months to fully take effect. For example, vitamin E and antioxidants take time to build up in the skin, a leaky gut takes weeks to reach full function again, and so on. As for the almonds, they are high in omega 6s, so the more you eat, the more oily fish you can add (it doesn’t have to be salmon). The key is the balance. If you’re getting vitamin E from a synthetic supplement right now, then that will still have some benefit.

If I were you, I would wait for an extra couple of weeks while sticking to the diet closely, and watch if any of the slower, long term improvements begin to kick in. If there’s still some pimples that need taking care of, you can make some extra improvements then. Good luck!

No, Thank You. That book is THE SOLUTION TO ACNE. I feel and look better than ever and I am so much more confident now. I dont wake up every morning scared to go in front of the mirror thinking that i will discover a new pimple. I have been following the diet and lifestyle for about two and a half week now and can see more improvements everyday. And you were right about the fact that it takes time. Now only thing i got are the scars which i am pretty sure will fade away. I had one question for you though. So, i got some canned albacore tuna (wildcaught) for omega 3 source and in the nutrition facts, the polyunsaturated fat is 0 grams per serving. if omega 3 is a polyunsaturated fat, shouldn’t the value be more than zero? did it lose the fat during the process? or is it still gonna get the job done?

Could you please Richard recommend any kind of oil to cook with? Because you say ” adition to vegetables oil like sunflower oils.

I live in Spain, and most people cook with olive oil, and I think in England cook with butter, and in every country use different stuff. For instance, how do you cook a fried a steak in order to avoid acne?

i was just wondering….is it ok to take a vitamin E, vitamin D, vitamin C and zinc supplement all in one day??
Also would you be able to tell me which foods are high in vitamin A and what quantities i should be consuming each day? I am also going to purchase the Navitas camu camu powder and was curious how many tea spoons would 750mg be? and if your using the powder each day would you also need a supplement?

You can take all of those, there’s no negative interaction between them. Foods high in vitamin A include sweet potatoes, carrots, kale and spinach for the plant based form, and eggs, liver and dairy for the animal form. The nativa’s naturals has directions on the back for usage, and if you mean an extra vitamin C supplement, then no, the camu camu powder will easily supply what you need.

Hi Richard, I have found your ebook and website very useful. My acne is hormonal but I have tried Vitex and Estroblock which did not really work. I had to stop taking Vitex because I was getting hyperpigmentation. Would these nutrients you suggest here be enough to cure hormonal acne? I can see that it has been beneficial to you, but my question is: would this work if you are a women? Our hormones are completely different… Thank you in advance for your help.

Yes, they likely will; none of these supplement function by regulating estrogen, but because they control all the other factors in acne, like inflammation, antioxidants, and oily skin, thy will still blunt the natural fluctuations in acne due to hormones. Also, thanks for buying the eBook.

600 IU of Vitamin E every day is waaaay too much. You could seriously damage your liver, primarily, and your other organs but taking so much of one vitamin. 50-100 IU a day is more than enough for a regular healthy adult and you’ll still see acne clearing benefits.

Thanks for the input S, but the U.S. maximum tolerable daily limit for adults over 18 is officially 1500IU. 600IU is certainly no problem. One study gave adults 300IU daily (600IU every other day) for ten years and noticed no adverse effects, but they did notice a reduction in cardiovascular mortality. You might be thinking of studies on the isolated alpha-tocopherol form, which isn’t what I recommend. Synthetic is also completely different to natural vitamin E (included in the supplement I link to). In fact not only do the negative studies on vitamin E use the isolated alpha tocopherol, they use the synthetic version of that: rac-α-tocopheryl acetate. This cheap knock off version of vitamin E (which is all too common) has way more studies which illustrate its dangers than just the high dosage ones. However you are correct that a 50-100IU dose will work well for your average acne patient; 600IU is just a megadose for the fanatics. If you want to be cautious but still take a massive dose then about 250IU would be perfect.

Hi Richard,
I have a 16 yr old daughter with acne and a 15 yr old son who is starting to break out some. Because of their ages, can they take the vitamins you listed above? For example, I bought the NutraBio Zinc and it says not intended for persons under 18 on the bottle. I bought the Brazil Nuts, NutraBio Zinc, Garden of Life Vitamin Code Raw E and Raw C, and Source of Life Garden Vitamin D3. I have not given them anything yet. Is it safe for them to take all?

Yes it’s safe. There’s nothing that will harm a 15 year old vs a 35 year old. The only real risks are the same regardless of age, which is that you might get an allergic reaction to the Brazil nuts, or if you’re unlucky, one of the bonus plants in the garden of life blends. Taking all the vitamins at once is not a problem. If you want to be safe considering their age then simply stick to the recommended dosages.

I am absolutely loving your e-book! Thank you for all your wonderful information. The last thing I still need is the magnesium oil. First of all, how many sprays of the Ancient Minerals magnesium oil do you use daily? Secondly, would it be possible to make my own by purchasing their flakes, and then boiling them with distilled water and spraying that onto my skin? It seems like it might be less expensive.

Thanks! The magnesium flakes are designed to be absorbed into the skin by dissolving them into a bath, so theoretically your method should work – it’s the same mixture. The test is whether your skin tingles and (if it’s your first couple of times) reddens and itches slightly. You’ll be able to tell whether it’s just water or the actual mixture you want. With the magnesium oil, each spray contains 25mg, so half of the RDA would be 8 sprays onto the body. Depending on your diet you can use more with no problem.

Thank you for this website!!!
I have acne since I was in my teens. Now in mid 40’s, I still have acne.
I read your website and. I ate bunch of sweet potatoes …..lol. And Voila ! My acne reduced drastically ! And I have changed my diet.
I avoid coffee or sweets. Basically, I drink water.
For sweets, I just eat fruits as substitute.
I do eat salmon instead of meat such as beef or chicken.
I must say sweet potatoes does cleared my acne! I am amazed !😊😊😊
Thank you! Thank you !!!!!!!🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🌹🌹🌹

I am a 21 yr old male who 10 months ago finished accutane treatments (which worked) and recently finished PDL treatments for acne scarring (which didn’t work). I am now experiencing sudden hot flushes on my face causing my checks to become red and inflamed. Can you possibly give me some advice on what to take to help alleviate the redness. It is causing me a lot of anxiety. Thx for any advice you can give.

Seems that almost everyone forgets about B vitamins. Vitamin B deficiency causes increased skin’s oil output (I don’t know which exactly, probably especially B3 but possibly others too, they should be taken together anyway). I discovered this by accident after noticing that my acne was reduced after taking B vitamins. However, you may need to take large doses for the desired effect (like B50 or B100).

B-vitamins do have a small effect on acne BUT they are very hyped up in some quarters. The main theory is that because B-vitamins are involved with fat metabolism, taking more will control sebum production. However, the body is more complicated than a simple connection like that and a strong effect on sebum output has never been proven. See this article for more on vitamin B5, for example. http://supernaturalacnetreatment.com/vitamin-b5-ultimate-acne-cure/

I have noticed after using 30mg l-optizinc for 4 days that I have broken out a few spots more (I havent been eating anything different) and my hyperpigmentations were a bit more red. Is this common to happen when you start using zinc?

I can’t say why, but no, it’s not a common reaction. I would persist for another couple of weeks because zinc itself is a slow acting supplement. Maybe you’re having a breakout which coincidentally began at the same time. If the acne persists then switch to another supplement. The only factor I can come up with is the rice filler in the tablets, which is usually harmless. Maybe you have a unique set of bodily circumstances which makes zinc l-methionine (the form in the supplement) damaging somehow.

I just an hour ago discovered your book and articles and am very excited to purchase and read it! I recently started reading about the link between fluoride and acne. I have started brushing with non-fluoride toothpaste and spraying magnesium on my body after showering. I also have been taking the below supplement for the past two days. It seems to have everything you mentioned and more. I take 3pills (1 dose) twice a day.https://www.amazon.com/Pure-Encapsulations-Nutrient-Vitamin-Capsules/dp/B0017O5N3W
Do you think that I should instead buy the vitamin brands you recommended?

Fantastic! Thank you! I absolutely love how thoroughly you write and offer studies. My boyfriend thinks I’m nuts reading about all these vitamins, etc. but being knowledgeable and able to explain why they will help makes me feel more informed. I’ve read that magnesium is much more readily absorbed through skin than internally. I’ve been using a spray called Ease https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XIT2X50
But it is much more expensive than what you recommended so I think I will switch to what you recommended. Also, sorry, I forgot to ask before but do you think it’s okay that I’m getting my selenium through that multivitamin I mentioned earlier or should I also be eating Brazil nuts? Also, do you have a good recommendation for 85% dark chocolate? Love the stuff and am SO excited that you say it’s okay to eat! Thank you again for all your amazing information! I can’t wait to tell my friends and family about your ebook / website. I wish everyone knew!

Selenium through a multivitamin is definitely acceptable compared with Brazil nuts, which are just the simplest and most convenient snack form for getting it. If you eat eggs and fish you’ll be getting bonus helpings anyway. Assuming you live in the USA then Green and Black’s 85% is a top brand. Correct, magnesium is excellently absorbed through your skin; oral absorption can work but it depends on the efficiency of your digestion, which is very weak nowadays in the average person.

Yes, I live in California so that recommendation is great!! I will let you know how these changes go. Thank you again for being so incredibly helpful, I have a feeling you’re going to help me more than my dermatologist!

Thanks for your response Richard.
Your blog has tremendously helped in mitigating my acne condition and i am thankful to you.
I read a couple of blogs about which form of vitamin A is more absorbable i.e. Beta Carotene or Retinol and i am confused about it. I am a vegetarian and do not consume meat/fish/eggs.It would be great if you could confirm if beta carotene rich plant foods is an optimal way to consume Vitamin A.
Also could you throw more light on the nutrients needed for acne scar healing

Hi! First of all I want to say I stumbled upon this page on accident but I love it. I’ve been dealing with acne and perioral dermatitis for years and I decided after reading this page to get the camu came powder, the Solgar vitamin E you recommended and got raw oraganic Brazil nuts as well. I’ve been eating super clean with no dairy or gluten for weeks now with no results so I figured this is the next step. My question is: I read up on the zinc and you said the zinc oxide is an ineffective form. Upon ordering the New Chapter Zinc food complex, which I was really excited to start on when it arrived today, I was disheartened to see it was zinc oxide! Can you please explain why you warned against that then recommended a product that was zinc oxide? Thank you!

It is ineffective; where did you see that it was zinc oxide? It hasn’t been previously and on the product page the zinc is still reportedly derived entirely from natural foods sources. If they’ve changed the zinc type I will discontinue this recommendation. It’s possible that they updated the product but never changed the page.

Hi Richard first of all thank you for sharing all the facts about acne..
I am aged 25 now based on your post I think I have hormonal cystic acne . I am thinking to take all the vitamins. And minerals you mentioned above along with honey and royal jelly and I do drink green tea sometimes , so thinking to have it regularly . Do you suggest me any other things to include ?? Please suggest me something and I actually booked for microneedling treatment but their “australia laser skin clinic” products made my skin worse than before with lots of new pimples and I gave a break to the treatment once after clearing my acne I think I should start the microneedling for removing acne it’s of no use if I keep getting pimples and goto them for clearing my acne scars . Do you think the blue led will kill acne ??? They Suggest me to buy scrub with 12% glycolic and said that acid will kill acne but nothing worked out .only Clinique products worked a little to control my pimples but still I can one or two every time

Blue light can calm acne but we have a source for it already, the sun. I’m not surprised that they told you to buy a pharmaceutical scrub and instead of following their advice I would examine your diet and see if you eating common acne villains like wheat, dairy if you have a sensitivity, and overly large quantities of sugar; that’s your starting point. The more processed food you eat the higher the chance you are ingesting some serious acne villains.

Lol mainstream dermatology is a joke when it comes to acne keep prescribing useless face washes that dont work and keep giving their ‘proven’ acne fighters. I improved my acne more from a few weeks of your website than using years of face washes

Excellent! It makes no sense… every month you see a new advert on TV boasting of a new “proven formula”. Finally proven to clear skin, proven to wipe out blackheads, or proven to slow ageing. If they’ve finally cracked the secret then what happened to the other 50 or 60 products which were proven to clear acne over the last twenty years?!

Exactly it is also shocking how diet is still not accepted as a major cause I recently went to a dermatologist and asked her about diet and she said there’s no proof but when I asked her if zinc helped she said yes and gave me a supplement I can’t believe how brainwashed these dermatologists are

So happy I found this information . My son is 13 and has severe acne. It’s heartbreaking. He is currently on minocycline which has not made a difference yet. Accutane is being discussed but I really don’t want to go that route. My husband had severe acne so this is inherited . He did blue light therapy and that did not work. What would you recommend for a 13 year old to take for vitamins?
Thanks so much!!

Give him some zinc as fast as possible; the official daily allowance is slightly lower than for an adult at 8mg daily for a 13 year old vs 11mg daily for an adult male. That’s the minimum intake though, and adult acne patients taking 30mg daily often get good results. Therefore I’d recommend 15mg of zinc daily to start off with and you can achieve this by taking one pill every two days of the Nutrabio supplement I linked to in this article, which is 30mg per pill (check the bottle to ensure that they haven’t sneaked in and reduced the quantity). I would definitely keep him away from Accutane since in some cases there can be severe side effects (liver damage, suicidal thoughts) and there are so many other options anyway. It’s possible that some extra nutrition is all his skin needs.

HOWEVER, also remember that diet is the most important cause of acne. In all likelihood a single pill will never clear his skin completely. There are many factors related to eating an unnatural diet, such as eating far too much sugar, and a lack of antioxidants from fruits and vegetables. It’s a big subject but the only path to truly clear skin is the natural one. To get started you can read this article. http://supernaturalacnetreatment.com/real-causes-of-acne/

I would stay away from all harsh pharmaceutical treatments until he’s experimented with some natural options. Zinc is a natural mineral which we need anyway; accutane definitely isn’t.

Hi Richard stumbked across your webpage in my efforts to find solutions for acne ! Im in my mid 30’s and have been experiencing persistent breakout around my chin for about 3-4 months , but even over the last few years find my skin is more prone to mild acne and pimples than during my teenage years. I’ve tried a variety of salon grade products & treatments, peels and LED therapy, and on/off diet plans, juicing with lots of green veggies etc. could you advise the best way forward for me in terms of what vitamin / supplements I should take to help eliminate these angry red bumps from my face ?! Read up on milk thistle but not keen on side effects, such as insomnia and hair loss..?!!

All those supplements can be combined quite easily because vitamins and minerals are natural things for us to eat – ideally we should be getting plenty of them through our natural diet. It’s herbal supplements and isolated compounds like NAC where you need to be more careful with combinations. All the supplements you listed should be safe to combine assuming that you stick to the recommended doses for each of them. B-vitamins are generally unimportant for acne with some exceptions such as B6 for PMS-induced acne. B5 for example is considered to be the cure for acne by many but is nowhere near as effective as zinc or vitamin E.

Hi Richard,
I am in a confusion to in buying the products you have mentioned in the website. I am ready to buy anything which will be effectively I have mauka honey 8+ , Brazil nuts, Almonds, badam, macadamia and I am thinking to buy royal jelly ,Sea buckthorn oil, grape seed oil, aloe vera, raw honey, the vitamin tablets you suggested . can you please suggest me what all i can use ??? can i use everything I mentioned above ? if yes, in what intervals i should use them ?

my concern is the forehead acne . i am always having at least two or three on my forehead. It keeps on poping up one by one on my forehead. i think poree are blocked too much there. i really dunno which i i should follow regularly. i have also bought your e-book so please suggest me …..

can sauna open up my facial pores which are blocked ?? i think i am ready to buy even one facial sauna so that i can do regularly …

Assuming that you’re in Australia then check out the website iHerb – they have worldwide shipping and mostly deal in natural supplements like these. No Nutrabio zinc but here’s a link to the Garden Of Life zinc product: https://au.iherb.com/pr/Garden-of-Life-Vitamin-Code-Raw-Zinc-60-Veggie-Caps/46033 Search for the rest and see if you succeed; if not, return here for more advice or find new products based on natural principles.

Sorry, just now responding back to my May 17th comment about the New Chapter zinc good complex. It says right on the back of it: “Zinc (as zinc oxide from culture media)”…. I’ve been taking it with the other ones and have seen no notable results, I guess I need to buy a different one now that isn’t oxide :(

I stumbled across your page accidentally and I have read many articles last few days. I’ve already learnt more stuff than in past few years and I must say, those years have been very problematic for me.

I’m 22 years old male and I struggle with breakouts for around 10 years now. First thing that I tried early in my puberty was seeing dermatologist, which of course didn’t do much effect. So then I tried to cope with it by myself. Through the years I discovered foods that were my biggest enemies – dairy, sugar, chocolate, soda, smoked meat, fried foods etc. It’s been over 4 years now without eating any of them regularly (some accidents happen but very rarely).

My acne quite improved with this diet and when these accidents happen, there are severe breakouts, sometimes even cysts. During more peaceful periods my acne mainly consists of more or less inflamed zits on the chin, cheeks and around the mouth and nose. I can say 90% of the zits appear in 1 inch radius around my mouth. Sometimes it’s couple of zits between the eyebrows and forehead, but majority of them is around the mouth (place between nose and mouth is worst).

Through the years I tried many supplements and remedies but nothing helped me clear my skin. Some of them were: zinc, selenium, vitamins D and A, no meat diet, raw honey, probiotics, antibiotics from dermatologist, green tea, black tea, omega 3 (pills).
Some of them even worsened my skin: mentioned dairy, sugar, smoked and fried foods, spicy and peppery foods, citruses, garlic, nuts, coffee and even the things that were said to help like kefir, milk thistle or dandelion root tea and nettle tea (these are said to help detoxify the liver, so I assume they worked and something’s wrong in there).

My blood tests are ok, my hormone levels are ok, sample taken during endoscopy said that everything’s normal there too. Some other conditions that are bothering me are returning dandruffon head, social anxiety (I’m seeing psychotherapist and working on it) and what is interesting, my skin is never oily, it’s more dry.

What is bothering me is that I strictly follow my diet as always but in the last 2 months my breakouts have started to riot and I don’t know how to cope with it anymore. Now it’s at least 6 new inflamed zits everyday. Can you suggest me some solution for all of this? What I could try next? I can say I’m more than desperate after this decade and I’m really tired of all this struggle. Thanks for your patience and taking your time to read all of this.

From what you’ve said I would say that stress is your biggest problem. Stress/anxiety is the acne factor which is most able to override all other good lifestyle and dietary decisions, from everything I’ve seen. Obviously the stress originates in the mind, but the biological effects can be dealt with in a few ways: take a high dose of vitamin C, over 1000mg. Take a magnesium supplement as well. Both reduce levels of the stress hormone cortisol in the bloodstream, and magnesium actually alters neurotransmitters in the brain to suppress anxiety directly. Many chronically anxious people love magnesium when they take it and claim that it worked better than any drug which they were prescribed. Take the vitamin C and magnesium both at the same time.

Secondly, when you say that you experimented with zinc, selenium, vitamin D, etc previously, did you take them at the same time? Or did you take them each individually and move on to the next when you noticed no improvement? Also, the type of supplement you take is very important. If zinc did nothing for you then it could have been an ineffectively absorbed form (zinc oxide).

First time I was taking only zinc alone. I think the dosage was 50mg but I’m not entirely sure. It did nothing and after couple of months I gave it another try. Then I tried 15mg zinc + 50μg selenium supplement simultaneously with 10000IU A + 800IU D – vitamin A was palmitate and D was cholecalciferol The zinc was in both cases in the form of gluconate. Together with these I was also taking omega 3 pills – 540mg EPA, 360mg DHA, 15mg vitamin E. This was last winter. Now from your recommendations I started first with grapeseed oil topically and I’m planning to detoxify colon and liver next week. I’ll give a try to magnesium and vitamin C, thank you for that.

HI RICHARD. Does zinc supplement intake affect the hair growth!? As I heard that Zinc increases DHT levels which actually reduce the hair growth and lead to hair fall. I found many articles which says increase in DHT LEVELS affect the hair growth

If you mean the frequency then the minerals each day, vitamin D daily. No advantage to taking them say, twice per day since they build up in your bloodstream over several weeks. Vitamin C, however, is extremely fast acting and increases in the bloodstream very rapidly. If you space out your supplement in two or either three doses in the day, you can achieve higher blood levels for longer, and with it consistently lower stress hormones and elevated antioxidants.

Hi Richard how long it takes to see the results ?? I am taking the supplements once a day and I am actually having food once or. twice a day I’m actually doing night shift in my work place . There is not a huge difference after taking the supplement, I can see atleast two or three small bumps on my face here and there . When one clears, the other starts nearby . Should I take the supplements twice a day ???

Sugars I have reduced a lot maybe one or two bounty or mars per week .. I eat two chicken tenders and a potato cakes twice a day when I am at work place , cappuccino once in morning, a chicken sandwich afternoon ,night time I will have rice or pizza but. It regurlarly mostly I will have those

Does masturbation cause acne ? I saw few articles, which says, as we do masturbation the testosterone level increase in the body which again increase the oil production and cause acne . Is that true ? can you please give some explanation on this ?

can you also please tell me the someways to remove dead cells from face

To Selva – the amount of sugar in weekly bounties or mars bars is acceptable for most people. Sounds like wheat might be your bigger problem. It’s not the healthy staple that most people think – it’s a big cause of inflammation and acne.

Your sources were accurate, that’s roughly how it works. But any surge in testosterone can be circumvented. For dead skin cells your smartest solution is to stop the accumulation in the first place, specifically by controlling keratin production. Vitamin A and zinc are the main players there. Regarding testosterone, this article will teach you how to make high levels harmless. http://supernaturalacnetreatment.com/do-androgens-cause-acne/

Thanks Richard let me try avoiding that and I came across something like food tolerncar test online .will that work dude to understand ???and also I experience itching sensation when I excercise and sweat around my face ,scalp

Nothing beats your own test, so that’s what I’d advise – remove wheat for two weeks and observe the benefits. Reduce processed food in general. Since you have acne, the itchiness could be easily due to chronic inflammation.

Response to Nick – out of the vitamins, vitamin C will be strongest, but it’s better for preventing new acne scars. Try cold pressed argan oil, either alone or in combination with cinnamon powder, both of which inhibit the tyrosinase enzyme which increases melanin accumulation and thus dark patches. Apply that to your darkened area overnight for several weeks and you should see a gradual lightening. Vitamin A is also excellent for an even skin tone overall although it most likely won’t remove the very darkest patches. Basically, plant based vitamin A accumulates in skin cells and creates yellow and orange pigments, so it should freshen up your skin and make any darker patches stand out less and be more appealing overall. For the worst I’d still try argan oil though.

For a basic face wash purely for hygiene, I use a tiny amount of Dr Bronner’s liquid castille soap daily. If by “toner” you mean something to improve your skin tone then argan oil is an excellent option and it’s great for acne too; see the recent article.

I’m 29 years old and while I did suffer with mild acne as a teen, it seems to be getting worse the older I get. I was diagnosed with PCOS 6 years ago after struggling with infertility. After my daughter was born, I struggled with losing the pregnancy weight despite my exercising efforts and noticed consistent break outs on my face and back. My ob-gyn advised with PCOS it is nearly impossible to manage my acne and lose weight without the use of birth control pills. I’m on the pill and my cystic acne is worse than ever before! So severe, I was desperate to find an immediate cure as nothing seems to be working. I stumbled upon your website and the info provided blew me away! I purchased the ebook and literally sat on the couch for two straight days reading it. I couldn’t put it down until I was finished! I am so confident that changing my diet is going to work. It makes 100% perfect sense-it’s such a no brainer! I don’t understand why this information isn’t readily known, especially by doctors? My son suffers with eczema under his knees and I’m hopeful that changing his diet will also fix his skin issue.

Excellent! Remember though, that you have to be consistent with the diet and you might not get massive results for a few weeks. Alternatively, you could see results extremely quickly. The key is to stick with it and be consistent to start with. You can relax the diet a few weeks after your acne has improved significantly, once your body has strengthened up. Regarding the eczema, yes there’s a big chance that the Annihilate Your Acne diet will fix it, seeing as the diet deals with chronic inflammation and that’s what eczema is caused by.

Very informative thank you! I’m thinking of going ahead and giving your zinc recommendations a try! I was wondering if you knew if the cheaper option of Zinc supplements you gave was Soy free? I have an allergy to soy so I try to avoid it completely (I suspect that its a sneaky ingredient that has made my tummy feel off for a while now since its in everything in fine print!!!) I noticed the only other ingredients are rice flour and vegetable capsules, but wondering if the veggie capsules are soy free. I can’t seem to find the info anywhere on what’s in the veggie capsules as I’m also intolerant to celery… Unfortunately the supreme zinc product you recommended has fermented soy in it so I have to stay away from that one.

Greetings; there’s a small chance that the vegetable capsule contains soy but I highly doubt they would sneakily insert such a common allergen into the casing like that. They also talk about the supplement being pure (which it mostly is) and randomly inserting soy would derail it. I would try the cheaper supplement (nutrabio l-optizinc) and see what you notice, I think you’ll be fine. Also, fermented soy is nowhere near as bad as regular soy anyway as the fermentation process reduces many of the anti-nutrients, so it might be safer for you. The ingredients you’ve reacted to in the past were probably unfermented soy like soybean oil, soy protein, soy lethicin, etc.

Hello Richard, I am so happy I found your website! I have a 14 yrs old son that weighs about 130lbs he is suffering from acne breaks my heart to see him upset about it. Since he is such a good kid. we have tried just about anything that is out there and nothing will work, and I will NOT give him accutine. I went and bought the Raw mutli-vitamins for men,the garden of life Raw vitamin E as well as the Raw Zinc, and Vitamin C (1000mg) %value=1667%. I am planning to have him take this daily. Is this too much for his age? I saw that the multi vitamin has 5,000Iu of vitamin A and the vitamin E also comes with it of 5,000 Iu as beta-carotene is that too much vitamin A? I have another bottle of Vitamin E that does not include the Vitamin A and is 400IU as (dl-Alpha Tocopheryl Afetate) should I give him this one instead? He also walks to and from school we live in Arizona so the heat can exceed the 110degrees he is exposed to this heet at least 30min per day..does this also affect his acne? and should I worry about the vitamin dosage because of his exposure to the sun. Thank YOU so much!

To Adriana – you’re right: stay away from Accutane! With the supplements you’ve ordered he’ll probably never need it. Hopefully they’ll work and the acne will be dealt with while he’s very young. If not then the next step is improving his diet. Those doses are completely safe. The vitamin A in both of those supplements is beta-carotene, which is extremely hard to overdose on. The human body has to convert the beta-carotene form to active vitamin A first and if your levels are already sufficient, no further conversion takes place. Those doses are safe anyway. I would use the new one because the dl-alpha tocopheryl acetate form is synthetic and ineffective.

About the heat: the main risk is increasing sebum (oil) production due to dryness, and the dryness itself. My favourite trick for such damage to the skin is taking cold showers, and then there’s natural moisturisers such as grapeseed oil. It depends on what effects he’s actually noticed from the heat exposure. The one benefit is that his vitamin D supplies should be high, so you can allocate your money to the other nutrients instead. The vitamin dosage (vitamins E and C) should be higher than the average person due to the sunlight, to protect against the extra UV radiation damage. He should eat extra antioxidants in his diet as well, for the same reason (a defensive barrier).

Update! I have been taking your recommended Vitamin C, D3, E and zinc supplements along with omega3 supplements since I don’t particularly like the taste of salmon. I’ve also reduced my sugar and gluten intake, but haven’t restricted it completely. It’s only been ONE week and I have noticed incredible results! Thank you so much for your help! This is life changing information.

I am curious to know what you think about Nucific Bio-x4 supplement. I stumbled upon it while searching for a probiotic. It’s geared towards weight loss but seems it could also aid in acne treatment too. Is this a good supplement? Worth the money? Would love to know your thoughts. I trust your judgment!

Hey, very impressed with all the replies you’ve dished out over the years!

I’ve found taking the listed Vitamins (and just started on the minerals) really helps, especially when my diet slips and I eat out at McDonald’s or the likes.

I’ve also been using maca root which helps to balance hormones (it is an “adaptajenic herb”)
needed for each specific person. I take it in powder form mixed in coconut oil. Tastes like dirt but I’ve noticed a reduction in severity of cycstic acne since adding to my diet.

For women with hormonal acne, yes. It doesn’t specifically target female hormonal acne though, but the advice will help everybody. The diet and lifestyle will help you to eliminate the acne you do have even if the hormonal problems aren’t solved. It depends on what hormonal problems you have – monthly acne, high androgens for a women, etc? In short, there’s no chapter specifically analysing female hormonal acne, but tons of dietary and lifestyle advice which help people regardless of the problems they have. Hormones like testosterone and DHT are covered, just without a specific section focussing exactly on female hormonal acne. Maybe you should read my articles on vitamin B6, vitex chaste, and estrogen first.

Just a correction: when you say ” Furthermore, 5 of the 8 forms of glutathione are seleno-proteins, meaning that their structure is based heavily around selenium.” you’re mixing up glutathione and glutathione peroxidase.

Glutathione is a tripeptide (three amino acids joined together: glycine, cysteine and glutamate), whereas glutathione peroxidase (GPx) is an enzyme that gets rid of hydrogen peroxide by reacting it with glutathione. It is the enzyme that contains selenium. Glutathione itself is an antioxidant, but it is “sacrificed” by GPx in its cellular function of removing hydrogen peroxide. Selenium is also required for the enzyme’s activity, rather than its structure.

Hi Richard, I’m having difficulty sourcing a food based Zinc in the UK. I’ve seen Garden of Life make a Zinc supplement but it doesn’t say if it’s the correct type, Piliconate or Methionine. Would this still be a good food based Zinc supplement to use? Great information in the book and website btw, really, really helpful.

Thank you! The type of zinc is completely irrelevant in Garden of Life zinc. It’s sourced from food, which we are designed to absorb, so the form is irrelevant. I only recommend analysing the specific form in an isolated zinc supplement. In fact, I use garden of life zinc at the moment. So buy it and enjoy less acne.

Hi Richard, thank you for your prompt reply. That’s good news, I have been closely following your advice and changed my diet completely, as well as taking the relevant vitamin supplements. This is week two and I can already see a significant reduction in sebum production and spots. I had always conveniently ignored the fact my diet was casing my body inflammation internally. I had taken some steroids recently following an allergic reaction to some fish. I noticed the almost instant improvement in my skin/sebum output in taking the steroids. This lead to me understand the link with inflammation and my adult acne/sebum problem which has plagued me for years. I’ll let you know how it goes in a couple of months.

How much vitamin A is toxic? I recently purchased the garden of life vitamin E supplement, which also has a lot a vitamin A. I wasn’t sure if it was addressed somewhere in this article or the comments, but as beta-carotene vitamin A is harmless correct? Can you help clear some of this confusion surrounding vitamin-A when possible? Thank you.

Hi Richard
I have been dealing with my adult acne, resulting from an external inflammatory response and high sebum levels for many years. Assuming that I closely follow the diet and supplement advice in your book and website, over what period of time do you think I should expect to see results? I realise everyone’s body works in different ways but it would helpful have some kind of gauge for my expectations. Thanks in advance.

Like you said, everyone’s circumstances are different, but for a theoretical average acne patient, you would expect a significant drop in acne after two weeks, after removing short term inflammatory foods like sugar. Thereafter, you would expect a more gradual fall over the coming weeks and months as the longer term strategies kick in, like taking minerals and eliminating foods like wheat. The skin itself literally has to incorporate new minerals, proteins, antioxidants and minuscule compounds from the new acne-friendly diet as well, which will also take time.

Is it bad for my liver to be taking all of these supplements? Im currently taking magnesium gycinate, l-lysine, vitamin d, and a probiotic. Considering I get really bad hangovers, I imagine my liver is not in the best shape. Let me know!

As long as you stay within the recommended dosages of each one, no. We’re simply replicating what we would naturally be eating if we lived in a world where all food was highly nutritious after all. It’s very different to herbal supplements, which while beneficial, we don’t actually have a nutritional requirement for.